New York Man Sentenced To 7 Years In Prison For Trafficking Heroin

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that CARLOS PADILLA, 29, a citizen of the Dominican Republic last residing in the Bronx, N.Y., was sentenced yesterday by Senior U.S. District Judge Warren W. Eginton in Bridgeport to 84 months of imprisonment for trafficking heroin.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 11, 2012, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Connecticut State Police stopped a vehicle PADILLA was driving on I-95 North in East Haven. After PADILLA gave his consent, law enforcement officers searched the car and found approximately 1.1 kilograms of heroin secreted inside a “trap” that had been installed in the car. PADILLA and a passenger, Francisco Torres, were arrested at that time. The investigation revealed that PADILLA and Torres were transporting the heroin from New York to Rhode Island.

On February 26, 2014, PADILLA pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin.

Torres, also a citizen of the Dominican Republic, previously pleaded guilty to one count possession with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, and one count of unlawful reentry of a removed alien. On April 15, 2014, he was sentenced to 130 months of imprisonment.

Torres’ criminal history includes a 2004 murder conviction in Rhode Island state court. In July 2010, he was deported to the Dominican Republic. He subsequently illegally reentered the United States.

This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven Task Force and the Connecticut State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Kale.